D-Day

Psalm 144:1

Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.

Psalm 18:34

He trains my hands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

Ecclesiastes 3:8

A time for war, and a time for peace

Via TJC

D-Day was the Allied invasion of Nazi occupied France, code name Operation Overlord, on June 6^th, 1944.  Close to 160,000 troops landed on the first day, supported by an armada of 7,000 naval vessels and 12,000 aircraft against and opposing force of 50,000 Germans.  The first 24 hours generated over 10,000 Allied and 9,000 German killed, wounded or missing. 

I had the privilege of attending the celebration of the 75^th anniversary of the invasion on Omaha Beach in 2019.  In the week before and after, I was able to sit and talk with veterans who fought on D-Day and the remainder of the war as well as local French and Belgians who lived through the Nazi occupation and the Allied drive to Berlin to end the war in Europe in May 1945, and those conversations expanded my aperture of understanding to a much more than just the significant sacrifice on this one day.  Take a step back and consider the American might, ingenuity and investment we made to push back the darkness and evil of the Axis powers. 

Aircraft production when from 20,000 in 1941 to over 100,000 in 1944 with Ford able to produce one B-24 every hour.

Ship production from 1941-1944 resulted in the production of more than 100 aircraft carriers, thousands of transport and cargo ships, and the ability to produce one cargo  “Liberty Ship” every four days.

Our fighting force transformed from a peacetime military of ~1.8 million in 1941 to a war machine of over 11.6 million in 1944. 

I turn to the Bible to help me with context on scope, scale and complexity and found the Battle of Mt. Zemaraim fought with 800,000 warriors of Israel against 400,000 from Judah led by King Abijah.  The Judahite victory resulted in the death of 500,000 Israelites.  Turn to to 2 Chronicles 13 for the details.  

Daily Battle Order:  Discuss with your family and friends how D-Day and all the conflicts America has had to engage in during our 250 years as a country compare to the war and rumors of war  Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:6.  How does American history compare to Joshua and his leadership that defeated 31 kings to follow God’s direction to live in Canaan and then rest from war (Joshua 11:23)?  Dive into Revelation 16 and 19 where demonic spirits gather armies at Mount Megiddo to make war against God, resulting in the return of Jesus Christ as the conquering King, leading armies of heaven in the defeat of the Antichrist and the False Prophet.  End in prayer, thanking God for the love story and rich direction He has provided us within the Bible, allowing us peace and joy in the face of all adversity.